Sunday, August 21, 2016

Amazing in Massachusetts - Attempted Murder in New Hampshire

Today started out uneventful. I woke up, had my coffee. Michael made me a frozen toaster waffle with cinnamon sugar and I ate it as I gathered up my luggage for the shlepp back to the car. By this time, I had parked three blocks away, but I was thrilled by the parking space.

I found it about 11:10 on Thursday morning. And the space was free and available until Monday! I had struck parking gold by New York standards. The luxury of being able to leave my car on the street and not worry about paying a meter or moving it!! When this morning came and it was time to leave the spot, I felt a bit of internal struggle. I related to George from Seinfeld and how excited he'd get when he found a good parking spot. It was a shame to leave it, but it served me well.

Driving up the country, I didn't stop much as I was on a bit of a time line. Of course I allowed for plenty of extra time, but it was Friday afternoon, and I was driving out of a big city and didn't know what I was in for.

I basically made a bee-line through New York and Massachusetts. The class I was teaching that night was in Mass, but only about half an hour from the motel I was staying in, in Nashua, NH, just past the state line.

My goal was to make it to Nashua, check in and shower and then head back down to Concord to teach my Nia class. But I kept an eye on the time and the map and was prepared to change plans and head directly to Concord if need be. Ideally, though, I would make it to the motel first because I needed a shower and a shave to feel like a Nia teacher.

Fortunately there were no traffic jams or construction sites that put me too far behind schedule. I had plenty of time to check in in Nashua and get cleaned up for class.

I arrived at the studio twenty minutes before go time, which is just about when my host, Maria showed up, too. She let us in and we had a great time in class.

It's interesting how some groups of Nia people have a greater sense of playful adventure, while others seem to be more concerned with being serious and safe. My style is edgy and challenging, so the groups that aren't used to being asked to take risks sometimes give me a bit of resistance. Such was the case at Starfish studio. My impression is that the group as a whole is not asked to push any of their own boundaries. Some groups will laugh and enjoy the struggles they face in my classes, and others don't seem to take my bait at all. Today, I felt it was an uphill battle to get a lively response from the group. For a few select moments, I showed them the kata and then I stepped out and literally asked them to 'dress up the movements' their own way. At one point, I said, tongue in cheek, "Imagine that you're dancing!" It took them a while to cotton onto what I was asking, but they finally loosened up and showed off some personality.

And it's a good lesson for me not to put so much importance in the response of the students. My work in cases like this is to still have just as much fun as I have with a group that whoops and hollers and loves to express themselves in dance.

After class I made my way back to the Nashua motel. I ordered some food and then went to bed early. I felt a sore throat coming on, which sometimes is the first indication of a cold. So I thought it best to nip it in the bud and sleep. I was a bit deprived of sleep in NY, which is par for the course in a city that never sleeps.

So I slept long and hard. I woke up at 2am, thinking it was time to get up. I was wide awake and refreshed, but also delighted to learn I could get back in bed and sleep for another several hours. Which I did. It was closer to 9pm when I was awoken by a knock on the door.

I first thought it was housekeeping, so I peeked out the window, hiding my nakedness, to indicate for her to skip my room today. But I saw a Nashua Police Dept badge staring back and me, so I opened the door, hiding behind it and explaining my state of undress to the officer.

He understood and had a few questions for me. My mind was racing, but I was curious and eager to help. He asked about when I checked in, if I heard anything and what I was doing in Nashua. I eventually learned that at some point in the night, someone had gone over the balcony on the third floor. They lived but were in too bad of condition to say what happened.

I'm glad I wasn't on that side of the building. That would have been horrible to see and/or hear. Fortunately, I sleep like a rock and didn't hear a thing.